Heretofore, methods of using a general-purpose resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, or polymethyl methacrylate as a matrix resin and dispersing a carbon material such as a carbon nanotube thereinto have been known as methods for imparting conductivity to resins (Non Patent Literature 1).
However, the conductivity of the resin composition thus obtained is generally low and poorly practical. Although it is possible that the amount of the carbon material mixed with the resin is increased in order to enhance conductivity, the problem is that the moldability of the resin composition is remarkably reduced as the amount of the carbon material is increased.
On the other hand, methods of dispersing a carbon material such as a carbon nanotube into a conductive polymer and methods of adding an iron or cobalt component together with a carbon material to a resin have been known in order to exhibit high conductivity. For example, Non Patent Literature 2 has proposed a conductive resin composition in which poly-3-hexylthiophene is mixed with a carbon nanotube. Non Patent Literature 3 has proposed a conductive resin composition in which polypyrrole is mixed with a carbon nanotube.
Non Patent Literature 4 has proposed a conductive resin composition in which polyaniline is mixed with a carbon nanotube.
Also, Non Patent Literature 5 discloses a resin composition in which polymethyl methacrylate is mixed with iron or cobalt together with a carbon nanotube. However, the resin compositions containing the conductive polymer as mentioned above generate large amounts of greenhouse gases (SOx, NOx) during incineration, in addition to high cost of raw materials, and are thus not preferred from the environmental standpoint. Furthermore, the resin compositions containing the third component such as iron or cobalt also require high cost and generate metal oxide as incineration residues.